Puneet's En Primeur Bordeaux Tour, Report & Recommendations

“This vintage has given them a glimpse of a good future for Bordeaux.”

The Bontemp is the wooden bowl in which the egg whites are whisked for that most amazing part of the winemaking process, the fining of the wines. A truly fitting symbol to end the Bordeaux En Primeur week and celebrate the 2022 vintage.

The vintage is truly fascinating. If you had asked the Commanderie (The elite group of Châteaux owners) in May 2022 what they perceived of the vintage, their heads would have been hung low, predicting not only an apocalypse for 2022 but for future vintages also given that for many the 2022 climatic conditions were a harbinger of years to come. Widespread frosts in spring of 2022, A large hail event not long after, and then three of the hottest months ever recorded in the region starting in May. Every Château employed their own methods to combat these conditions. Château Margaux reduced foliage in an attempt to reduce photosynthesis, Château Latour kept foliage to shield the berries from harsh sun, soils, yeasts, crop cover… all were played with. Harvests were conducted earlier than normal with many picking their Merlot in the last week of August. And then as the wines began to vinify it was clear that something remarkable was happening. The wines had a vibrancy, a freshness, an elegance and a restrained power, large mouth feel and incredible length. The vintage was turning into a truly memorable one and a success. And in the end, all the vignerons could say was that in large part this was down to the vines and the terroir and their own ability to adapt to climatic conditions. The combination of limestone, gravel and clay soils allowed the roots to both go deeper and find amazing flavour components. They were able to survive from the retained water in the soils and its increased water carrying capacity. In the end the vines adapted. 2022 is their vintage.

And so, we gathered on our final night of the tour to celebrate, and the mood was high. The commanderie were relieved and ecstatic. This vintage has given them a glimpse of a good future for Bordeaux. Large bottles of ’99 Latour circled the table and my cup was always full. I laughed and danced with my new friends. I am quite sure that Xavier, the owner of Branaire Ducru, will be owing me a bottle of something special as The All Blacks defeat France in this year’s World Cup. The Prince of Monaco is now my friend. And to my dear friends in New Zealand, It was Bordeaux that truly inspired me to enter this crazy world of luxury and sensory delight. For me it is not about the final product, the sensory delight or even the social coming together, it is the fact that wine is a most natural product and springs from our Earth, and the same vine speaks to us so differently from each terroir. I believe that all of our food should be like this, we should have thousands of baked beans and thousands of cauliflower flavour profiles – every foodstuff uniquely speaking of its terroir. Being an individual whilst being part of a group – somewhere in that is the grand unifying theory.

Good night one and all and if you wish to partake in this year’s 2022 En Primeur Campaign, please don’t hesitate to let me be your light through the chamber.

I recommend the following wines because I believe that they are outstanding from the vintage, and that buying them EP will definitely offer a far better price than waiting to purchase upon release, and also because these first tranche allocations ex Château will be very scarce and snapped up by the global market.

I have chosen several superstars which must not be missed if you want the very best and several excellent value wines which will knock your socks off at more reasonable (for Bordeaux) prices. I have also chosen wines which displayed incredible balance and supple tannins and whose drinking life will last both several decades and yet be ready to drink as soon as they are in your hands or very soon thereafter.

Wines will be available in New Zealand late 2024 with 50% payment by Dec 2023 and remainder upon arrival into New Zealand and at the point of delivery to you. Happy drinking!